Improvement in lasts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN I AsTs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,565. dated July 24,1866.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SETE T. Hu'rcHINs, of North Anson, in the county ofSomerset and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Lasts; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken inconnection with the drawings which accompany and form part of thisspecification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enablethose skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates to novel means for placing and holding the blocksof lasts in their places, so that they may be easily secured in positionand detached therefrom.

Of the drawings illustrating my invention, Figure l shows a last in sideeleva-tion with my improvement thereon. Fig. 2 shows a section taken onthe line z z, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 shows, in elevation, the inner face ofone of the spring-catches which I employ.

The body of the last is marked a, and the block b. These parts ot' alast are commonly secured by a steady-pin in the block at the toe end,with a tack or nail driven through the block b into the body a at aboutthe place marked c iu Fig. l; but the driving and pulling out of thisnail or tack splits the block and soon ruins it for use. Various deviceshave been employed to take the place of the nail or tack, intended tosave the wear of the block,

l but from their expense and want of simplicity have failed to come intopractical use.

In myinvention I retain the use ofthe steadypin at the toe end oftheblock, this being shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, my inventionconsisting in the combination, with the steady-pin or dowel, ofspring-pieces d, on both sides of the block, secured thereto and'springing over and catching and holding ou projections ein or on thesides of the body of the last.

The guiding and holding pieces d are preferably formed of sheet-steel,though other ma terial may be made to answer. These pieces are bestsecured to the block by a screw in each piece d, at the upper endthereof, as shown in the drawings, the pieces d being prevented fromturning by the corners, which are bent down at ff, forming spurs orpoints, which are driven into the block. In the lower end of each pieced a hole is made and is countersunk from the inner face, so as to iitupon the projections ein the last, these being cheaply made byround-headed nails driven therein.

When the block is in place it is easily removed bya pull with theordinary block-hook inserted in the hole g, the inclines or curves outhe projections e and the inclines of the countersunk holes surroundingthese projections causing the pieces d to spring under the force of thepull exerted through the hook, and liberating the block from itsconfinement.

To replace the block the steady-pin or dowel is entered in its hole, andthen a push upon the block downward and forward will cause the pieces dto spring over the projections e and close upon them with a snap.

Immaterial changes in the details of construction-such as using twoscrews for holding each piece d, and dispensing with the spurs j', ormaking projections on the pieces d and corresponding couutersinks ordepressions in the body of the lastare no departure from the spirit ofmy invention.

I claim- The self-operating spring-clasps d and projections e, combinedand operating together to hold and to release the last-block,substantially as described.

SETE T. HUTOHINS. Witnesses:

J. B. GRosBY, F. GoULD.

